Tales from the Other Side of the City
by BubblyShell22
Summary: After meeting Tony Salini and becoming friends with the Hamato family, The Phoenix and her children are adjusting to a new life filled with family, fun, and adventures.
1. Chapter 1

Tales from the Other Side of the City

Chapter 1: Spring Cleaning

A/N: Here is another story that crosses my Tales of a Pizza Delivery Boy universe with Illusionna's The Other Side of the City universe. This one mostly will be a slice of life type series of stories that will be a side story to The Pizza Delivery Boy and the Phoenix. A bit thanks to Illusionna for being kind enough to let me do this. You are truly the best and everyone should check out her work because she is amazing at what she does! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the others to come.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. The Phoenix, her children, and any other characters from The Other Side of the City are property of Illusionna and are used with permission from the author. I only own the plot and nothing more.

Summary: After meeting Tony Salini and becoming friends with the Hamato family, The Phoenix and her children are adjusting to a new life filled with fun, family, and adventure.

The Phoenix sighed as she came out of her room. Her children and the Turtles were out on patrol so she and Splinter had the place to themselves. She found him in the living area cleaning up various bits of mess.

"I am cleaning up this place a bit," Splinter said. "Sometimes my sons leave in a hurry and forget to clean up after themselves."

Phoenix smiled. "It seems to be a boy thing, though Arcos is definitely a bit neater than Aries when it comes to keeping things clean."

"I believe it is time for me to inspect my sons' rooms. I often do this when they are on patrol. Would you like to join me?"

She nodded as she was curious to see their rooms and what their personalities were like because of them.

Leonardo's room was first and upon entering it, Phoenix marveled at how impeccably neat it was. The only mess Leo really had was some papers that had fallen off his table filled with calligraphy and some action figures that had fallen off of one of his shelves. Posters for a show called Space Heroes lined his walls and she had to smile for she had seen his geeky side while watching the show only the other day. She helped to put things back and then they left the room.

"Leonardo is usually the neatest of my sons," Splinter told her. "I often wish the other three would be like him in terms of neatness."

"Are they really that bad?" she asked him.

"You will see," answered Splinter.

Raphael's room was next and his was a bit messier than Leo's. He had an assortment of weights that were scattered about as well as some things that were obviously thrown in a rage. Chompy Picasso, his pet turtle, was sitting on his little table and wagged his tail in greeting while giving a little chirp.

Phoenix helped to clean Raph's room though it was a bit of a chore to get the weights where they needed to be. After that was done, they each patted Chompy on the head and left to go to Donatello's room.

The purple-clad Turtle's room was mainly scattered about with books and notebooks. It was clear Donnie didn't spend a lot of time in his room and it showed with all of the mess. The two got to work cleaning it up with Splinter sighing a bit as he did so.

"Donatello spends most of his time in his lab than in here," he said.

"Are you going to clean his lab too?" Phoenix asked as she could imagine how messy that place was.

"No, he does not allow me to go in his lab for anything and usually cleans it himself when he thinks of it," answered Splinter. "However, I have threatened to go in there if he does not clean it up on time and that usually motivates him to do so."

Once Donnie's room was in order, they went to Mikey's.

"Be sure to hold your breath," Splinter advised her.

Phoenix was a bit confused at this advice until she entered the room and a horrible smell filled her nostrils. She immediately pinched it shut and held her breath as Splinter had advised.

"I told you so," Splinter said with a twinkle in his eyes.

The youngest Turtle's room was a detritus of empty and half full pizza boxes, candy wrappers, and plates of moldy food. The two of them got to work and began cleaning it up though Phoenix had to leave the room a few times due to the smell. Somehow, they got it done and left for the kitchen to have some tea.

"Well, that was quite an adventure," Phoenix commented.

"Are your boys as messy as Michelangelo?" Splinter asked.

"Not even close," she answered. "They do have some messy moments, but nothing like that. I think if they did do that, they know I would ground them for life."

"I definitely plan on having a talk with Michelangelo about it," Splinter said. "Though I have done so many times and it does not seem to sink in with him."

"Would you let me try?" she asked him. "I think I can get through to him a bit better."

"Be my guest," he said.

When the Turtles arrived home, Splinter told Mikey that Phoenix wanted to speak to him. Curious, the young Turtle followed Phoenix to the dojo.

"So, what's this about?" he asked her.

"I was helping your father clean your rooms, and I noticed the deplorable state of your own room," she said. "That smell could kill someone or make them sick."

Mikey rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I kind of forget about that sometimes."

"Well, maybe this will help you remember it better," she said and before Mikey could react, she smacked his behind with a wooden staff.

"Ouch!" he yelped.

"If you don't want more of that, then you should get better at cleaning your room," she lectured.

"Splinter always just gives me flips to do," he said. "Or sometimes randori."

"Consider this my own version of randori," she said.

Mikey nodded and saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. You're dismissed."

After Mikey left, Splinter came in. "I saw Michelangelo on his way out and he said he would never forget to clean his room as long as he lived. What did you do?"

"I spanked him with a staff because I thought that would be a good reminder for him," she answered. "Looks like it worked. Haven't you ever spanked your boys?"

"I did when they were smaller, but I stopped once they became teenagers though I do tend to use other punishments such as grabbing their ear slits or giving them flips or randori to do."

"Well, I'm of the opinion that one is never too old to get spanked," she said. "That's why my children are never unruly and know that if they cross the line, they'll get spanked for it. Luckily, I haven't had to do it in a long time."

Splinter chuckled. "Well, perhaps that is what I will keep in mind then if I need to punish them," he said. "I am sure Michelangelo will not want to get punished by you in a hurry."

"No, he definitely won't," she said.

22222

"So, what did she do?" Raph asked him.

"She spanked me," pouted Mikey.

"Are you serious?" Raph gasped. "She totally spanked you?"

"Yes. It was only once but it hurt a lot."

"I can't believe she spanked you," Leo said.

"Yeah, Sensei stopped doing that when we were thirteen," Donnie pointed out.

"Mama's of the opinion that you're never too old to get spanked," Aries said. "Believe me, I've taken the brunt of her spankings a few times myself. My advice would be not to get on her bad side."

"But she's not our mom," Raph said.

"That doesn't matter," Aries told him. "She's still your elder and you need to respect her."

"I would listen to him, Raph," Leo warned.

22222

A few days later, Raph rubbed his sore shell. He had gotten on the wrong side of the Phoenix when he got in a fight with Leo and didn't apologize right away.

Aries came into the room and smirked at Raph. "I told you so," he said.

"Shut it, Wooly," Raph grumbled.

A/N: So, what did you think of this chapter? I'm the type to think that the Phoenix is not against spanking if it keeps her children in line and that she only does it when they commit pretty big offenses like not listening to her about certain things. I hope you liked it. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Divided We Fail

A/N: Here's the second chapter to this little tale. I want to thank those who have read and reviewed thus far as your kind words mean the world to me. Thanks to Illusionna for being kind enough to let me borrow her characters and take them on more adventures. I hope that all of you enjoy this chapter too.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related character are property of Nickelodeon. The Phoenix, her children, and any other characters from The Other Side of the City are property of Illusionna and are used with permission from the author. I only own the plot and nothing more than that.

The night was bright with stars though you couldn't see them with all of the city lights. The Turtles and the Children of the Phoenix raced across the rooftops, happy to be out for patrol.

"Okay, team, let's split up the patrols," Leo instructed. "Raph, you and Medusa go west. Mikey, you and Aries go east. Donnie, you and Arcos go south. I'll take north and we'll meet back here in two hours."

"I'm sorry, but we're not taking orders from you," Aries said.

Leo glared at him sternly. "We're all working together and I'm the leader, so I give the directions."

"We're the Children of the Phoenix," Medusa declared. "We can handle ourselves without you guys."

"Why don't you guys go east and west and we'll go north and south?" Arcos suggested.

"Look, my brother knows what he's talking about," Raph said. "It'll work better if we work together."

"But your leader wants to go off on his own," Aries pointed out. "Does he think he's too good to have a partner?"

"No, this is just the way it's worked out," Raph answered. "So, unless you can pull out a fourth member for your team out of your ass, this is the way it's gonna be whether you like it or not."

"You're only saying that because Leo put you with my sister," Aries countered.

Raph growled and moved toward the ram, but Leo cut him off.

"Enough!" he ordered. "You either listen to me, or you can go off on your own."

"I think we'll go off on our own," Aries replied. He motioned to his siblings and they headed south.

Leo sighed. "Change of plans, guys. Looks like we're all going to take east and west."

"I can't believe they just wanna go off on their own!" Raph complained. "What a bunch of morons!"

"I agree with Raph," Donnie added. "Sensei has always stressed that there's strength in numbers."

"I always thought they were gonna be our friends," Mikey said sadly.

"Cheetahs don't change their spots," Raph grumbled.

"I believe the saying is, Leopards don't change their spots," Donnie corrected.

"Whatever," Raph muttered.

"I know this isn't what we wanted, but we can't force the Children of the Phoenix to ally with us," said Leo. "Maybe they'll come around in time."

"I hope you're right, bro," said Raph pessimistically.

22222

Meanwhile, the Children of the Phoenix were doing their patrol route as well.

"I can't believe Leonardo!" Aries huffed. "Who is he to tell us what to do?"

"Well, he IS the leader and Master Splinter did tell him he needs to lead everyone," Medusa pointed out.

"If you think he's right, then go and join him!" Aries snapped.

"I'm just saying that we need to learn to get along with them," explained Medusa. "They aren't our enemies anymore. We have to trust them."

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever trust them," countered Aries.

"What do you think, Arcos?" Medusa asked him.

"I get why Aries doesn't trust them, but I see your point about getting along with them," answered Arcos. "I say we just let Fate take its course just like Mama says and go from there."

Aries made a noise in his throat but said nothing more about it. As they raced across the rooftops, they suddenly noticed a group of men surrounding a woman. One of the men grabbed her purse while the others laughed.

"That's not good," Medusa said.

"Let's help her," Aries suggested.

The Children of the Phoenix jumped down and confronted the group of men.

"Didn't your mom tell you not to disrespect women?" Aries asked.

The leader of the group glared at him. "Stay out of this, freak!" he snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

"If you're hassling women for no reason, it does concern us," Arcos replied.

"Give her back her purse and let her go!" Medusa commanded.

The leader of the group laughed. "And what are you gonna do if I don't?" he taunted.

"This," Medusa answered and flicked out her whip, trapping the man. She yanked on it and took him off his feet.

"Get them!" the leader commanded.

His henchmen advanced toward the mutants, but they attacked as one and managed to take most of them down. But just as Medusa was grappling with one of the thugs, the leader snuck up and stabbed her with a knife. She shrieked in pain, releasing her attacker and clutching her side.

"Dus!" Aries yelled.

Arcos roared and grabbed the man, throwing him against the wall while Aries ran to his sister's side.

Aries put pressure on the stab wound, but he knew they had to get out of there. "Arcos, tell the Turtles what happened and we're on the way to the Lair," he ordered.

Arcos took out his T-Phone and texted Leo what had happened. Leo answered back that he and his brothers would meet them there.

They ran to the Lair and put Medusa in the infirmary. It was hard to carry her, but both boys managed it. Phoenix and Splinter hurried in when they saw what had happened.

"Medusa!" Phoenix cried as she rushed to her daughter's side. "What happened to her?"

"We encountered a group of thugs, and one of them stabbed Medusa," Aries answered.

"Why are my sons not with you?" Splinter asked.

Aries hung his head. "We split up from them to do separate patrols," he replied.

The Turtles arrived then, but before Donnie could even examine Medusa, Phoenix had already healed her.

"Thank goodness the wound wasn't too deep," she said.

Leo rounded on Aries. "Why didn't you call us when you encountered those thugs?" he demanded.

"We didn't need your help at the time!" Aries snapped.

"Yeah, and now your sister got stabbed because you were too stubborn to take orders from my brother!" yelled Raph.

"Enough!" Splinter and Phoenix shouted.

"Aries, why did you split up?" Phoenix asked her son.

"Because I didn't want to take orders from him!" responded Aries as he pointed a hoof at Leo.

Splinter and the Phoenix looked very stern at this news.

"Children, we will stay here to discuss this matter," Phoenix said sternly.

Her children nodded. "Yes, Mama," they chorused.

"Leonardo, I will see you in the dojo," Splinter said. "The rest of you are to stay in the living area."

Leo bowed. "Hai, Sensei," he said as he followed his father.

When they were gone, Mikey turned to his brothers. "Eavesdrop?" he asked them.

Donnie and Raph nodded. "Eavesdrop," they replied.

22222

Phoenix paced in front of her children. "Aries, why would you make such a stupid move?" she asked him.

"I already told you! I don't want to take orders from that arrogant Turtle!"

"The Turtles and Splinter are not our enemies," she replied. "They were kind enough to open their home to us when we needed them."

"We didn't need them at all!" Aries retorted. "I'm sorry, Mama, but I just can't trust them after all we've been through."

"What do the rest of you think about this?"

"I agree with you, Mama," Medusa answered. "They've been so kind to us and they haven't even tried to hurt us."

"You're just saying that because you like the red one," Aries retorted.

"Aries, _chut!_ " Phoenix commanded. "I want to hear Arcos' opinion."

"I agree with you, Mama," Arcos answered. "The Turtles have been very kind to us and if they wanted to kill us, they would have done so many times."

"Very astute reasoning, Teddy Bear," Phoenix praised him. "You too, Curly Que."

Aires stuck out his lip. "I don't care what anyone says," he said stubbornly. "I still don't trust them."

"That is a shame, Lamb's Ear," Phoenix said gently. "I hope that in time, you'll change your mind. For now, you are grounded for two weeks. Arcos and Medusa are exempt because they didn't make the decision to not trust our allies."

"They did at first and they followed me," Aries replied.

"But we realized how stupid we were to do that and feel bad about it," Medusa countered.

"Aries, you are still punished for disobeying Leonardo," Phoenix said. "You must learn to work together and listen to those who are wiser."

Aries said, but he really wanted to tell his mother where she could stick her opinion.

Arcos went to the living area while Medusa stayed in bed per Donnie's orders. Aries left to go to his own room for a bit while Phoenix went to clean up the kitchen.

22222

"Leonardo, what happened?" Splinter asked his son.

"I suggested that the Children go two ways and we would go the other two ways," Leo explained. "Aries didn't want to do it even though I explained to him that I was the leader of the group. He said he wasn't going to take orders from me and left with his siblings."

Splinter stroked his beard. "I see," he mused. "It appears that trust is not as easy to gain as I had thought."

"I guess not, Sensei," Leo answered. "I'm sorry I failed you. I guess I still have a lot to learn about leadership."

Splinter put a paw on his son's shoulder. "Leonardo, you take your role too much to heart," he said gently. "You will never fail me no matter what you may think. I will always be proud of you for doing your best. I hope that in time, Aries will begin to trust us. United you are stronger while divided you fail to achieve your objective. Perhaps you should remind Aries of this for he is the one who failed, not you."

"I'll try, Master Splinter," Leo said, bowing his head.

"That is all I ask," Splinter replied as he pulled his son in for a hug.

Outside the dojo, Mikey pretended to sniff. "It's a Kodak moment," he remarked.

"Mikey, you do have your phone, you know," Donnie pointed out.

Mikey brightened. "Oh, yeah," he said and took out his phone to snap a picture of Leo and his father hugging. "I can so use this for blackmail later."

"I heard that, Michelangelo!" Splinter yelled. "What have I told you boys about eavesdropping?"

"Busted!" Raph whispered.

Splinter gathered his other three sons to lecture them while Leo left to go watch television. He knew Splinter was right and that it was going to take time for Aries to trust them. He just hoped that it would be soon for he could feel that things were not going to be calm for long.

"I wouldn't feel frustrated, Leonardo," Arcos said. "Aries has always been like that. He'll come around, and Mama already punished him. For what it's worth, I do trust you guys and so does Medusa."

Leo smiled at the bear. "Thanks, Arcos," he said. "What are you watching?"

"A Giants game," Arcos answered. "Unless you want to watch Space Heroes instead."

"Nah, we can watch this," Leo replied.

22222

Aires quietly left the Lair and sat outside for a bit. Deep down, he knew his mother and siblings were right, but there was still something in him that said he couldn't trust the Hamato family. Maybe it would be better if he didn't stay there. With is mind made up, Aries left to strike out on his own, but little did he know that it was a decision that he would regret later.

A/N: Another chapter is done! Looks like Aries is running away. So, what will happen next and how will the others react to it? You'll find out in the next chapter. Also, I did leave in a few references to one of the movies in here too. Whoever can guess what they are and which movie they are from gets a virtual Turtle plushie. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Runaway Ram

A/N: Yay! Another chapter is here! I was worried it wouldn't come to me this fast, but it has. Here is the continuation of the last chapter and we'll see where Aries goes and if they can get him back. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. Your kind words mean the world to me and it means so much to me that you like this story. As always, special thanks to Illusionna for letting me borrow her characters and for doing this story as well as the other one that I have to update. I hope that all of you enjoy this chapter too.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. The Phoenix, her children, and any other characters from The Other Side of the City are property of Illusionna and are used with permission from the author. I only own the plot and nothing more than that.

Aries raced across the rooftops, determined to get away from what was troubling him. He knew that he'd made a bad decision, but he was the type to be stubborn to the end no matter what. The Turtles and their master just weren't trustworthy enough. All they did was act like they were better than them and that Aries and his family owed them something. Well, that's how Aries viewed it though that was far from the truth.

The ram thought about what he could do and where he could go. He could go back to the Back Up Burrow since no one was living there now. Yeah, that would be a good idea. Just as he made the decision to turn around, he caught a delicious smell and followed it to a little noodle shop that the Turtles had told him about. His stomach growled as though giving him a signal, and Aries jumped down and went toward the noodle shop.

The shop was empty save for the owner who smiled as he heard the door open.

"Welcome, new customer," Murakami said. "My name is Murakami and I will be serving you today. What may I get for you?"

Aries noticed there wasn't a menu on the board. "Um, sir, there's no menu on the board," he pointed out.

"No, you go outside to that machine that will show you what selections there are," he said. "You choose your food and bring the order in to me."

Shrugging, Aries went outside and studied the machine that looked like a vending machine with wooden things inside. He studied the choices and remembered Mikey telling him how good Murakami's pizza gyoza was. Aries selected it along with a drink and then headed back inside.

"Ah, pizza gyoza," the chef murmured as he felt for the design. "You have tried this before?"

"No, sir, a friend told me about it," Aries answered.

"Very good," Murakami said. "I will have that ready soon."

Aries studied the sop and liked it for how cozy it seemed. "Do you get a lot of customers here?" he asked.

"Oh, a fair few," the noodle chef answered. "Though I have some special customers who come in as often as they can."

Aries smiled. "Yeah, they were the ones who told me about this place."

"So you know of the Turtles then?"

"Yeah, we're kind of living with them now. I'm Aries, one of the Children of the Phoenix."

Murakami turned, his smile getting brighter. "Yes, I know of you and your mother," he said. "I am honored to be in the presence of such a legend."

Aries blushed at the compliment. "Well, I wouldn't go that far," he said.

"Why did the Turtles not come with you?"

"I didn't tell them I was coming here. In fact, I'm leaving them all on my own."

"And why is that?" inquired Murakami.

"Because I just don't trust them," answered the ram. "We've been enemies for a long time, and I just can't help but feel that this is some ploy to lure us into a false sense of security before they decide to get rid of us."

Murakami looked troubled at the mutant's words. "I can assure you that the Turtles and their father are very trustworthy," he assured Aries. "They have saved my life many times and I am forever in their debt because of it. You really should learn to trust them. Sometimes those we perceive as our enemies turn out to be the best of friends in the long run."

"I appreciate the sentiment, sir, but I think I'll pass," Aries replied.

"Suit yourself," said Murakami. He gave Aires his order and then left to do more cooking.

Aries ate the food and really did enjoy it. If he didn't mistrust the Hamato family, he would have told Mikey that he made a good recommendation. Once he was finished with his meal, Aries thanked Murakami for the food and left to go back to his old home. He had a feeling his mother and siblings would be furious with him, but Aries knew he was right and if they wouldn't heed his warning, that was their fault. He smiled as he arrived at the place they had called home during the Kraang invasion. There wasn't much there as they had decided to move all of their belongs to the Lair, but that didn't matter right now. All he needed it for was to sleep.

He settled down where his old room was and closed his eyes, happy to be at peace at last.

22222

"Leo, would you help me prepare these chicken strips?" Phoenix asked.

"Sure," answered Leo. "What do you want me to do?"

"You just take the chicken and dip it in the egg and then the breadcrumbs then hand it to me to be put on the baking sheet," she replied.

Leo nodded and did as she asked. Most of the time, Mikey was the one who insisted on cooking by himself in the kitchen and though Leo and Raph could cook to some degree, they always relied on Mikey to cook most of the meals. Donnie was the worst at it because he always messed up the recipes or tried to make them more exciting with his experiments. Then again, Mikey was guilty of this as well.

"You really seem to be enjoy this," Phoenix commented. "Have you ever helped Mikey in the kitchen?"

"No, he always insists on doing things himself," Leo told her. "But I enjoy doing this."

She smiled at him. "Good."

 _Find one of your own,_ the unbidden thought said.

Phoenix stopped short as she heard it. What did that mean?

"Phoenix, are you okay?" Leo asked her.

 _Find one of your own,_ the thought said again.

"What do you mean?" Phoenix asked out loud.

"What does who mean?" Leo inquired.

Phoenix ignored him as she considered what the unbidden thought was trying to tell her. "Leo, stay here and put the chicken on the baking sheet after you're done with them," she instructed. "I have to do something." She hurried away and checked on Medusa, who was sitting in her bed reading a book. Then she looked for Arcos and found him in Mikey's room playing with his action figures. She then looked for Aries but couldn't find him. Where could he be?

"Arcos, have you seen Aries?" she asked her son.

"No, not since he stormed out," Arcos replied.

 _Find one of your own,_ the unbidden thought said.

"I know!" she yelled. "I'm trying!"

"What is all this yelling about?" Splinter demanded.

"Aries is missing," Phoenix replied. "We have to find him."

"We'll head topside right away and search," Leo reassured her.

"We'll go with you," Medusa suggested.

"No, we'll search the sewers," Phoenix contradicted.

"Why would he go in the sewers?" Arcos asked her.

"He could be there to hide out," she answered.

"I will stay and take care of dinner," Splinter offered her.

"Thanks, Splinter," she said.

"Okay, everyone, let's go find Aries," Leo declared. "Let us know by text if you find anything."

Phoenix and her children nodded as they set off in the opposite direction that the Turtles were taking.

"I just can't believe Aries would take off like that without telling us!" Arcos huffed. "Does he realize how selfish he's being right now?"

"I know, Teddy Bear, but we'll get him back," Phoenix reassured her son. There was no way she was going to lose Aries the same way she had lost Ailurosa.

Medusa flicked her tongue at intervals, hoping to find her brother's scent. She flicked her tongue out again and then gasped. "Mama, I smell him!" she cried. "He went to the Back Up Burrow!"

"Then let's go get him," Phoenix said as she followed her daughter. She knew he would go there.

 _Find one of your own,_ the unbidden thought urged.

"I'm going to," she promised.

Medusa reached the entrance first and found Aries in his old room. "Aries!" she cried.

Aries awoke with a start, pulling out his ax in an instant before realizing who it was. "Geez, do you really have to scare me like that?" he complained.

"You're one to talk!" Arcos retorted.

"Aries, what possessed you to run away like that?" demanded his mother.

"I really don't want to stay with them, Mama," Aries replied.

"I have already told you that they aren't our enemies anymore," his mother said. "And if you want proof of that, they immediately decided to help us in searching for you. Now, do you call that something an enemy would do?"

"No," Aries said softly.

"The Turtles are great, and I'm not just saying that because I like Raph," Medusa said. "All of them have their good sides to them. They were really concerned when I got hurt, and Donnie was ready to treat me right away."

"Mikey's really good at drawing and I've offered to show him how to paint, too," Arcos added.

"I know you have misgivings, but you can't just run away from your family," Phoenix lectured. "I've already lost two children. I don't intend to lose any more, especially because of stupidity."

Aries hung his head at his mother's words. "I'm sorry, Mama," he said. "I promise I'll go back with you."

"Good, and I expect you to apologize to Leo and Splinter for your behavior," she replied.

Arcos texted Leo that they found Aries and then headed back to the Lair.

"So, you have returned," Splinter said. "I am very glad to see you home safe, Aries."

"Thank you, Master Splinter," Aries said. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I know that you and your sons have been kind to us, and we can never repay you for that."

"You are forgiven, Aries," said Splinter. "Just remember that assuming often leads to disaster in the end."

"Yes, sir," said Aries as he bowed to him.

The Turtles arrived then and were relieved to see that Aries was okay.

"I really hope you won't do that again, Aries," Leo lectured.

"I won't, and I want to apologize to you for not trusting you guys," Aries said.

"You're forgiven," Leo said. "I also should apologize for trying to order you around. I may be the leader of my team, but you three are your own team, and I have no right to assume that you should follow my lead."

"You're right about that, but we don't mind teaming up with you," Aries replied. "I'd follow you any day because you are a great leader."

"Thanks," Leo said. He held out his fist, and Aries bumped it with his hoof.

"Well, now that everyone's safe and sound, we should eat dinner," Phoenix suggested.

Mikey brightened. "You just said my favorite word," he said.

Everyone laughed and gathered around the table to eat together as a family. Aries was happy he was home and vowed to himself that he would work on his trust issues. The Hamato family were no longer their enemies.

They were family.

A/N: I'm so happy to be finishing this chapter. This one is a little bit long, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I hope that all of you have enjoyed this chapter too. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.

And a special shout out to Splinter for being kind enough to review my story. She is an amazing writer and you should really check out her stories, especially In Another's Shoes as that one is very hilarious and will make you laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Artistic License

A/N: Here's another funny chapter to make you laugh. I have to admit that all the talk about this apocalypse arc is really making me anxious, especially for what happens to Leo. I really hope they don't kill him off or that he's not dead when the arc starts. That would completely break me. So, here's a chapter to make all of you smile. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far as your kind words mean the world to me. Special thanks to Illusionna for letting me borrow her characters. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. The Phoenix, her children, and all related characters from The Other Side of the City are property of Illusionna and are used with permission from the author.

"Hey, Mikey, what are you working on?" Arcos asked.

"Just a drawing," the orange-clad Turtle answered.

"Have you ever tried painting before?"

Mikey shook his head. "No, I really like drawing, but if you want to teach me, I would totally be down for that."

"Great," Arcos said. "The key to painting is that it's a lot like drawing except with a paintbrush instead of a pencil." He set up his easel and demonstrated how he started painting. "I usually start with an idea in mind and then go from there."

Mikey smiled as he watched Arcos paint. "That's pretty cool," he said. "Can I try?"

"Sure," Arcos answered. He flipped a page of his easel and put it in front of Mikey.

Mikey thought about things and then picked up a paintbrush and chose orange. He slowly drew a perfect sun. Then he selected blue for the sky, green for the grass, and even drew the farmhouse with all of them there.

"Wow!" Arcos said. "That's pretty impressive!"

"Thanks, Arcos," Mikey said. "I really like painting."

"I think it suits you and you can paint anything you want if you really want to."

Hearing that made Mikey feel good and he continued his painting until it was just as he wanted it. When he was done, he showed it to his family.

"That's a nice painting, Mikey," Leo commented. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Arcos taught me," Mikey answered.

"It really is very detailed," Donnie piped up. "It reminds me of that guy who died who used to paint on television. You could probably do that too, Mikey. Wait, is that Bigfoot in the background behind me?"

"Yeah, I kinda wanted to add her in a little bit," he answered.

"It's okay," Raph said. "I just don't get the big deal about it."

Mikey was hurt by what his brother said, but everyone else was happy for Mikey and praised him for his new talent which made him feel better.

As the days passed, Mikey continued to paint and everyone continued to comment on it except for Raph. Mikey knew that he had to convince Raph he was good at what he did, but how to do that? Then he got an idea, and his eyes lit up in excitement. He knew the perfect way to prove to Raph that he was a good painter.

22222

Raph came into the Lair after spending some time with Slash. It was always fun to hang out with his friend, but he was hungry and wanted to eat some food. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a slice of pizza to heat up. After it was done, he decided that it was time to head to his room. As he entered, he was met with a sight that made his eyes widen in shock.

His whole room was painted different colors. One wall was painted blue while another was painted red. His drum set had paint on it, and some black stirpes were put on his pumpkin light. The ceiling was a mural of color, but the worst was Chompy who had a different pattern to his shell than what was normal.

"MIKEY!" Raph yelled.

Mikey came into the room, his face the picture of innocence. "You called?"

"Dude, what the hell is this?" Raph demanded, pointing to his room.

"Ohh, that! Well, since you really didn't like my work, I thought I would paint your room to show you what a boss painter I am. What do you think? You think I could get on one of those decorating shows on HGTV or DIY?"

Raph was taking deep breaths in an effort to control himself before he pummeled his little brother. "Mikey, you had better wash this paint off, or I swear, I will beat the green off you so bad there will be nothing left!"

"But, dude, your room looks so much better now. Don't you wanna keep it this way?"

Raph growled and advanced toward Mikey, a murderous look in his eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'll put everything back and wash it off," promised Mikey.

"Good," Raph said. "And Arcos can help you."

"Dude, he had nothing to do with this. It was all me."

"Fine, then you can do my chores for a week to make up for it."

Mikey saluted and went to work on putting Raph's room back in order. Splinter was less than pleased about what Mikey had done and punished him by grounding him for three weeks. Arcos was let off the hook because he hadn't told Mikey to paint Raph's room and lectured him on how it could have gone wrong.

Mikey only partially regretted what he did to Raph. He still thought it was a masterpiece and still continued to paint despite what happened. Raph did forgive him, but he always made sure to keep an eye on Mikey in case he tried to do any redecorating in the future.

A/N: Okay, not the best way to end it, but I did my best. I really hope you guys like it. Still anxious for that apocalypse arc and really really hope Leo isn't dead in it because if he is, I will bawl like a baby and be inconsolable for a long time. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


End file.
